


Help

by Icarus_Flying_Not_Falling



Category: The Flash (TV 2014)
Genre: Emotional Hurt/Comfort, Hurt/Comfort, M/M, again...idk guys, idk guys it just happened, probably pre-slash
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-06-03
Updated: 2017-06-03
Packaged: 2018-11-08 13:18:36
Rating: Not Rated
Warnings: Rape/Non-Con
Chapters: 1
Words: 6,221
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/11082396
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Icarus_Flying_Not_Falling/pseuds/Icarus_Flying_Not_Falling
Summary: Barry is attacked and an unlikely crew help him out.I'll level with you...I'm not happy with this but I also don't have it in me to put heaps of effort into rewriting it. Comments would be cool.





	Help

Barry had not expected it. Most would’ve assumed that the whole ‘Flash’ thing would make the man invincible. And yet, it was definitely not the case. Especially against multiple attackers. He’d been walking home from work when the man had attacked him. The streets were bare and grey and Barry hummed softly as he walked past the closed shop fronts. He loved this time of night. His life felt rushed and chaotic, and the empty quiet of the night appealed greatly to him. As he had walked passed the entrance to an alleyway, a hand suddenly shot out and hit the back of his head. Another hand shot out nearly simultaneously and covered his mouth with a sweaty palm. Suddenly more hands were grabbing at his waist, dragging him into the alley. It was dark but Barry could make out the outlines of four men. Four tall and muscular men. All still restraining him. Panic sent his mind spinning. His only advantage was his speed. But trapped as he was, he would be forced into hand to hand combat until he was able to escape and speed away. 

“So, I don’t know about you boys, but he looks like a fag to me.” One man sneered. Snickering and grunts of agreement rung out from the others. Barry’s eyes went wide as the man stepped closer in, nose to nose with him.

“Well, it’d be a shame if we left the poor fag waiting, wouldn’t it?” He whispered, and suddenly he was kissing Barry. Despite being restrained by the other three men, Barry tried to move, tried to fight back, anything. And yet the other man pressed still closer, letting his hands wander all over Barry’s body. Barry felt sobs break through his throat, and tears streamed from his eyes. This wasn’t happening. This couldn’t be happening. This won’t happen. His mind felt fuzzy, repeating those three phrases to himself. He was broken from this train of thought by a hand unzipping his fly, and he squeezed his eyes shut, a dizzy and sickening feeling washing over him. Around him the other men laughed and the leader broke the kiss, a smirk plastered over his face as he pulled down his own pants and underwear. Barry tried to block out what was happening but he couldn’t, and each thrust into him made him feel more and more ill. The hot body pressed against him and the grunts and moans into his ear only heightened his revulsion. After what felt like hours, Barry felt the other man slump against him, finished. As soon as the man was back in his pants, the others crowded around Barry, who had fallen to the ground. Vicious kicks and punches were thrown at him, along with words he picked up as they mockingly called to him. ‘Fag’ and ‘fairy’ and ‘cocksucker’ all aimed at him and violently as the kicks and punches. Soon, the men grew bored and with one final kick, they were gone.

Barry felt…blank. That was the best way to describe it. Some small part of his mind noticed that he wasn’t healing but the rest of his mind overruled the thought, not bringing itself to care about the fact. He wasn’t sure how long he was lying there bruised and bloody, until the buzzing of his phone was able to break him from his mind. It was Cisco. Oh God his friends couldn’t know about this. They couldn’t know he was weak. Or that he’d been chosen because of him looking (and being) gay. Then he’d need to tell them that he was…well, gay. He couldn’t handle this and coming out all at once. He answered the phone, trying to sound as casual as possible.

“Hey Cisco, what’s up man?” His voice sounded normal, something he thanked high school acting class for. 

“Hey Barry, yeah we got another Cold situation. Want me to text you the location?” 

Barry nearly began sobbing again. How could he be the Flash now? But he had to, otherwise his friends would know something was wrong. Shakily he got to his feet and flashed away.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

By the time he arrived at the robbery, Snart was standing around waiting for him, Mick having already retreated to the car with whatever they had stolen. Barry wasn’t sure he cared if they got away at this point. He also wasn’t sure he cared if Len was to shoot him where he stood.

“Well Scarlet, better late than never I suppose.”

Barry didn’t even have it in him to glare. He thanked his hood for hiding his blotchy and tearstained face, but his eyes were still bloodshot and his whole body was still covered in the unhealed injuries. He wasn’t going to be a match for Len or his cold gun tonight.  
Frowning at the lack of an answer, Len stepped forward. 

“You know Scarlet, some people like to reply to others when they say something.”

His voice had taken on a new note. Light concern. The kid in front of him looked like he wouldn’t be up to saying much, his eyes that particular shade of red that let Len know the boy had been crying. Sighing, he dropped the pretences altogether and put his cold gun away. 

“Okay how about this, we call it a night, and you go back and hug away your feelings with your team of little scientists?”

He wasn’t quite sure what he’d said wrong, but suddenly the Flash was crumpled on the ground, sobbing hysterically. Okay, he supposed he’ll have to fill in for the scientist friends then. He stepped forward and beckoned for the kid to come with him. For some reason that neither really knew, Barry followed him.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Len’s safe house wasn’t perfect, but one thing he had made sure of was that it was comfortable. And that was probably the reason why Hartley and Mick were already curled up on one of the couches when he and Barry made it home. They both looked startled as Len and the Flash shuffled into the house, and Len prayed neither would attempt to murder Barry. That would definitely not help this situation. Both men were tensed as if ready to strike Barry at any given moment, and Len shot them warning looks. This did add an issue though. He had planned on Barry getting changed from his Flash clothes in the hope that it would help him calm down a bit. That plan was now scuffed with the presence of two people who may very well try to kill Barry if they knew that information. 

So it was a shock to him when he turned to face Barry and the boy was reaching for his hood, pulling it down to reveal his face, and ignoring the three sets of eyes on him. As soon as his face was exposed, the expressions on Hartley and Mick became concerned. The boy had a black eye and his skin looked red raw, as if he had been crying for hours. 

“Jesus Len what did you do to him?” Mick looked stunned. Len glared.

“I didn’t do anything. Now get me the first aid kit.” Mick obeyed. Hartley meanwhile, had approached Barry slowly and reached out an arm to him. The boy flinched back violently but Hartley persisted, muttering softly he had no intention of hurting Barry. That seemed to sooth him and he allowed Hartley to gently guide him to the couch. Hartley sat on one side of him and after a moment Len kicked off his shoes and sat on the other. The three sat silent for a few minutes until Mick returned with a first aid kit, a tub of hot water, and a set of pyjamas. Instead of sitting on the other couch, Mick kneeled down in front of Barry. 

“Alright kid, how about you tell us what happened, yeah?” Len broke the silence.

Barry shook his head violently, and this time Mick gave it a go.

“Well if you want to stop being upset then you gotta tell someone so they can help fix it.”

This earned him an actual reply from Barry in a hoarse whisper. “And what if it’s something that can’t be fixed? What if I messed up and now it can’t be changed?”  
Len leaned close, grasping one of Barry’s hands in his own.

“Then we’ll help you try and move past it. So please can you tell me what happened?”

“You’ll think I’m weak. That the Flash is a failure. I can’t, please.” This was even quieter now, and fresh tears were falling.

“Scarlet.” Len tilted Barry’s face to look at his own. “Please the three of us know firsthand that you aren’t weak. Whatever happened, I know you. I know you would’ve tried your hardest. So let us in.”

Barry looked wildly between the three criminals and were shocked to see Hartley and Mick nodding along to what Len had just said. He took a shaky breath.  
“I…I tried…I mean I was…There was this guy, these guys. They got me on the way home from work. I tried to…stop them, but they were all a lot stronger than me. They, I mean, they forced me to…”

Len gestured for him to stop speaking, and pulled him into a soft hug. The other man sobbed onto his chest, not sure why he felt so safe in the arms of Captain Cold. 

“Did they give you a reason for the attack or was it random?” It was Hartley who had piped up this time.

“A reason.”

The three men looked at him expectantly, Mick soaking a cloth in water and stripping back the top of his suit to access the bruises on his chest. 

“It was…look no one knows this. It was because I looked gay. Because I am gay. They…they beat me up afterward and kept just shouting things at me. If I didn’t look so…”

“Bartholomew Henry Allen don’t you dare finish that sentence. If it was Hartley that had been raped would you say it was his fault? How about Mick? Or how about me? Yes Allen, we’re all gay here. Look, these guys are the ones at fault. You’ve done nothing wrong, and your friends should know, okay? Then they can help you.” Len’s voice was like steel. No reply came from Barry, and it came as a surprise when Mick spoke up next.

“Okay Allen, how about this. You go and have a shower and get changed, then we’ll continue this conversation. Good plan?” Barry nodded, and carefully stood up, taking the pyjamas with him in the direction of the bathroom. When they heard the taps turn on, the three villains faced each other.

“What the fuck do we do?” That was Mick.

“I mean, we aren’t his friends. We are more his enemies than anything. I don’t like that he’s hurt, and I want him to be better, but are we really the best people for the job? If this kid is the Flash then he has Cisco and Caitlin. They’re some pretty intense people and would definitely be able to help him.” Hartley had always been the most logical of the three. Yet 

Len shook his head.

“Barry’s too scared to go to them yet. Thinks they’ll reject him. Or scared of telling them he’s gay. I think…we should let him decide, but I’d feel more comfortable f he stayed here for a bit.”

Len was surprised how easily the other two agreed with him. So while Barry showered, the three men made themselves busy around the safehouse, Mick cooking dinner, while Hartley and Len made up the spare bed and tried to gather as many comfortable blankets as possible. When he finally got out of the shower, clad in comically oversized pyjamas, Barry’s eyes went wide as they led him to the guest bedroom. Hartley had even taken down some of the science related posters from his own room and put them up in Barry’s room. Barry turned to say something but at that moment his phone rang.

“Hey Cisco, yeah I know, I’m sorry. Yes he got away,” at this Len smirked at him. Barry shot him a glare, but it seemed more affectionate than sincere. “no Cisco, I’m not pursuing him. I went home. I’ll see you tomorrow or something. Okay, yeah okay, bye.”

The young man seemed suddenly very tired, and he crawled into bed, murmuring thanks to the villains at the end of his bed. He was asleep by the time his head hit the pillow. No one would possibly be able to get past Mick, Len or Hartley. He felt safe.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The next morning, the three men were greeted by an empty guest bed. Initially, they panicked and searched around the house, and the street outside. But then logic kicked in, and Hartley brought up footage of the CCPD, where Len said Barry worked. And there the boy was, with heavy rings under his eyes, shuffling around his lab.   
It was fifteen minutes until Barry’s work finished, and he was on the verge of a breakdown. He couldn’t do this. They’d be back. They’d get him. Singh strolled into his office as he was packing away equipment with shaking hands.

“Hey Allen, you look pretty beat. Go home and get some sleep so you can not be late tomorrow.”

“Yeah, of course. Thank you.”

Singh frowned. Allen was looking at the ground and avoiding eye contact at all costs as he shuffled to the door. The kid looked terrified.

“Allen.” The boy froze. “You know if you’re in any trouble or anything…I’m here.” Barry nodded minutely and left the room. His breathing came harder as he left the building, but before he could descend into a full-blown panic attack, he sped off to his apartment. 

His sleep that night was disjointed and in the morning he woke up screaming from a nightmare. In total, he must have only gotten about two hours of sleep. And so it continued. He went to work, he did his job as the Flash, he was plagued by nightmares through the night. Being alone in his apartment made him feel in constant danger. They’d be back any minute. They’d find him. They’d kill him. Joe, Iris, Cisco and Caitlin knew something was wrong, but he had become adept at avoiding them, and the last time they saw him outside of work was two weeks ago. None of them knew what to do next.

On the other hand, Len, Mick, and Hartley had settled into keeping tabs on the boy. While he was at work, one of them would call of security footage to check he was still alive. Leonard grimaced as he saw the boy on the screen. His skin was deathly pale, and he looked like he had lost weight if that were possible. It was clear he wasn’t sleeping much. Curiosity got the better of him when Captain Singh walked into Allen’s lab, and he turned the sound on too. 

“Allen, you up for a case?”

Barry nodded.

“Just a heads up, it really isn’t pretty. Rape and murder. Joe is already there with Thawne.”

Barry nodded numbly and Len felt a wave of pity pass over him. The poor kid hadn’t even missed a day of work to recover. Whatever his boss thought he was doing not giving the kid time off, he was crazy. Surely the police had got the rapists by now, but the least they could do was give their own pet CSI a week off. He was falling apart.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

The crime scene had been brutal. It was the same spot that he had been raped, and when he realised, he was on the verge of vomiting. The body itself was of a male, pale and thin like himself. The word ‘fag’ was carved into his chest. Barry carefully collected the evidence and all but flew back to his lab. Len felt Hartley walk up next to him and watch the screen as Allen re-entered his lab. The speedster was shaking and as soon as he put the evidence bags on the desk, he was crumpled on the floor, sobbing. 

“What happened?” Hartley asked. “Do you think he was attacked again?”

“I don’t think so. He was sent out to look at a case. Rape and murder.”

Hartley shot a concerned look at the boy on screen, who had straightened himself up and made his way over to his desk. Slowly, he took photos from the crime scene and stuck them up on the corkboard. Hartley paled looking at it. Even as a criminal, he didn’t know how Barry could cope being up close and personal with this stuff every day. The two villains watched the speedster analyse evidence until his work was over, and it was time for him to go home.   
When he stood outside, Barry was shaking once more. He had forgotten to eat, so caught up in his work, and there was no way he had the strength to speed himself home. His breathing was coming in pants now, and he dropped to the ground. He couldn’t go home. They’d be there again. And this was how Captain Sing found him.

“Allen? Come on let’s get you inside. Allen I need you to stand up. Come on kid!” But Barry couldn’t bring himself to move. He couldn’t. Everything felt blurry around him. And then another voice joined him.

“Scarlet, why don’t you do what the captain ordered?”

His head shot up, and Singh reached for his gun as Snart crept out from the shadows. 

“What do you think you’re playing Snart?” Singh growled.

“Easy chief. I’m here for the kid. He isn’t looking very flash is he?” He smirked slightly at his own pun. “Look, besides the fact that I’m a thief and a liar, I am telling the truth when I say that I want the kid to be okay. And frankly, I’m questioning if you do.”

Singh’s eyebrows shot up. “And what makes you think you care more about the safety and wellbeing of my own employee than I do?”

“Well,” Leonard drawled. “for one, I don’t assign a rape investigation to a rape victim. Call me old fashioned that way.”

Singh’s expression became stunned and he turned to Barry, who was still curled up on the ground. “Allen, is he…telling the truth?”   
Leonard interrupted whatever Barry might have been about to say.

“You mean you didn’t tell them? No offence, but what the actual fuck Scarlet?”

“I just, I didn’t want people finding out.” Barry whispered. Len dropped down by his side, and Barry threw his arms around him, clinging onto him for dear life.

“Look, okay. Is there – is there somewhere we can maybe sit down and talk? Because I dout you want to enter a police station Snart.”  
Snart nodded and beckoned for Singh to follow him, before wrapping his arms around Barry’s waist and helping him to his feet. 

“Barry, I know it might be scary…but what do you say we go to STAR Labs? You really do need to tell someone Barry. You can trust them.” He sighed as Barry shook his head furiously. “That’s fine. Your apartment instead?” And the three of them set off. Barry’s legs wouldn’t support his weight and Len swept him with ease into his arms. He grimaced; so he was right about the kid not eating. Barry settled against Len’s chest and soon had drifted off, exhausted. Singh was staring at Barry the whole time with obvious concern on his face, but realised he needed to wait until they reached Barry’s to start that conversation again. Instead he looked at Snart, and asked:

“And how exactly do you know Barry and where he lives?”

Snart smiled slightly. “Don’t worry, the kid isn’t involved in my nefarious schemes. We’ve just run into each other a lot.”

“And you found out about this…incident…how exactly?”

“Ran into him after it happened and he stayed at my safe house for the night.”

“You – you looked after him?” Singh looked perplexed.

“Of course I did. Everyone thinks the kid is a treasure. I’m not letting him fall apart because someone is a scumbag. And neither will Hartley or Mick.”

Singh nodded pensively. “You are referring, I presume, to Hartley Rathoway and Mick Rory?”

“Believe it or not, they’ve been stressing about him the entire week.”

Singh snorted. If anyone was likely to win the hearts of the most dangerous villains in Central City, of course it would be Barry. He did have that charm about him. That puppy dog charm.

When they reached the apartment, Singh opened the door while Snart carefully carried the sleeping Barry through the door and lowered him onto the couch. Barry’s eyes blinked open sluggishly.

“Now Scarlet, have you eaten today?” When Barry shook his head, Len stalked off to the kitchen and returned holding arms full of food. Barry threw him a grateful glance but when Len made to sit in the arm chair, Barry reached out his arm to him. Len smiled gently at him and sat himself down next to the speedster, who immediately cuddled against his chest. Singh took the empty armchair. 

“So Barry, would you mind talking to me here? I gotta know what’s going on so I can help you here.”

Barry recounted as much as he could, clinging onto Len desperately. He was just getting to the part about it being because he’s gay, when the sliding open of a window caught the attention of all three of them. Snart and Singh were up in an instant, guns in hands. Len’s gun dropped as Lisa stuck her head through the window. 

“Hey big brother, Hartley said you’d be here.” Of course Hartley knew. Lisa slid through the window, and Len was surprised that Mick and Hartley himself slid after her.  
“We wanted to make sure everything was okay.”

Ignoring Singh, the three villains crossed the apartment and crowded around Barry. Lisa kissed the top of his head, then walked into the kitchen to make some tea. Hartley took one of his hands in his, and Mick played with the kid’s hair. Len curled up on the couch again, gun lying on the floor.

“You haven’t been sleeping very well, have you?” Hartley asked, examining him. Barry shook his head. “Nightmares?” Barry nodded.

“I just…I find it hard to sleep here alone. I keep thinking that they’re gonna be here.”

“Why don’t you go to Joe and Iris then?” Singh inquired.

“I don’t want them to know! They can’t know.”

“If they even dared to judge you, I’d kill them both.” Mick said viciously. Singh shot a disapproving look at him, but it didn’t hold much heat. 

“You could come stay with my husband and I if you want.” 

Barry smiled faintly at him, but shook his head. “I really don’t want to intrude.”

Singh opened his mouth, but Snart beat him to it.

“I’ll stay with you.”

Everyone in the room turned to look at him.  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Singh had been on the force for years, but tonight was surely the strangest night he had had so far. He had sent a text to his husband telling him that an emergency had arisen with a friend and that he’d be home late. And now here he was. Watching movies with criminals and his injured CSI. Watching movies was a loose description of what was happening. The four criminals had sat down together and quickly decided to do whatever they could to cheer Barry up. Even if that meant looking like idiots. After that, it had been child’s play. They had put on The Dark Knight and were acting out each scene word-for-word. Len made a very good Joker, while Mick played a hilarious Batman, and Lisa and Hartley played literally every other character. It wasn’t long before Singh joined in, taking on the role of Commissioner Gordan. That earned a smirk from Len. By the end of the movie, they all took a bow and Barry applauded, tears of laughter streaming down his face. 

Soon after, Singh left, telling Barry to look after himself, and then telling the villains to look after him or they’d get a bullet in the brain. That night, Barry slept the best he’d slept since the attack, firmly clutching the reassuring hand of Len, while the others took shifts keeping watch during the night. Not once was he woken by a nightmare.

The group fell into a routine. They didn’t all stay every night, but it could be trusted that two would always be there at the very least. And Barry was getting better. Singh tried to take the rape case off him, but Barry insisted on doing it himself. This became particularly crucial when his own blood was identified while analysing blood samples. He was having a panic attack when Singh walked into the office.

“Barry?”

It took several minutes for Barry to calm down.

“The crime scene of the case…it’s the same place that I was…you know. And I thought whatever okay? But the DNA analysis…it has my blood in it. I’ll need to include that in my report. That there was two people’s blood. Mine and the victim. That way if we catch them, we can say it speaks to a serial crime and they get more years right?”  
Singh was nodding and looked hesitant before he spoke.

“Barry, if they are the same guys…well…they had their particular, how would you say this, their ‘MO’, if you will. The guy they killed had, you know, the word ‘fag’ on him. Did they, what I’m trying to ask is –“

“Yes they targeted me because I’m gay. They didn’t write the word on me, but that’s what they called me.”  
Singh put a hand on his shoulder and squeezed in comfort. “I’m guessing that’s another reason you don’t want to tell Joe?” Barry nodded miserably. “Well, I’m sure Joe would never be anything other than accepting. And besides, I don’t think those friends of yours would take too kindly to anyone rejecting you for being gay. They seem rather fond of you, especially Len.” Singh ignored the blush on Barry’s cheeks. “As for the report…yes. I’m sorry but legally you’ll need to add it in. And as Joe is presiding officer of the case he will need to see it. I truly am sorry Barry.” Barry nodded numbly and got to his feet, shuffling around his office and preparing his file. Singh watched him closely. “I know it’s hard…but please submit that by the end of the week. I’m here for you Barry. We all are.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Len and company were not over tonight because Barry had been forced to camp out at Cisco’s flat for a movie night with him and Caitlin. He tried to relax but in the back of his mind, all he could think about was the report. Cisco called to him:

“Hey Barry, pizza dude is here. Can you pleeeeeease go and get the pizza?”

Grumbling, Barry walked to the door and opened it. And nearly collapsed. On the other side of the door stood the pizza delivery man. And it was definitely Him. The one that had attacked him. A smirk crossed over the man’s face and he moved to step forward but just as he did, Barry slammed the door and locked it. The man’s fist pounded against the door and Barry slid down the door, shaking. Caitlin and Cisco ran out to see what the noise was about and immediately pulled Barry back into the living room. But Barry was ignoring them. He sat trembling and crying while Cisco ran back to the door, telling the man that he would call the police. Caitlin sat in front of him, holding his hand and waiting for him to settle again. The three jumped when knocking was heard at the door again, and Cisco ran back at it. 

“I swear to God dude, get the fuck outta here or I’m calling the cops.”

“Oh please, that won’t be an issue. Now let me in Cisco!” It was…Hartley? Cisco was stunned when he opened the door and Hartley stood in front of him. Hartley ignored him and ran straight past him until he reached Barry. Caitlin looked moments from attacking him, but froze when Barry threw himself at Hartley, hugging him desperately and sobbing. What was even more confusing, Hartley was hugging back just as tightly, murmuring reassurances into Barry’s ear.

“Sorry to interrupt, but what exactly is happening here?” Cisco asked.  
Hartley ignored him, instead fishing for his phone. “Hey Cold, yeah it’s me. Yeah Barry is fine. He’s – yeah he’s pretty shaken up. Did you get the footage to Singh? Okay, yeah I’ll deal with that. Okay. Bye.” Then his focus returned to Barry. “Hey sweetheart, how about you talk to them? They’re your friends and they want to help. They love you.” Cisco mouthed the word ‘sweetheart’ at Caitlin questioningly. Barry shakily stared at Hartley, then nodded and turned to Cisco and Caitlin.

“Guys I – I’m so sorry.” And he was crying again. “I didn’t wanna tell you guys coz I just…you know? I got…attacked. Yeah attacked. Like beat up and stuff. But like that wasn’t it. I got – I was. I was raped. There were four guys. Umm yeah. And because I was, you know, um gay. So yeah.” He looked down at his feet.  
Caitlin’s hand carded through his hair, and Cisco was by his side in an instant.

“Barry, we care about you. We love you. We won’t let anyone hurt you like that again. We’ll also make sure the guys are caught. Do you understand me?” Cisco’s voice was firm, and he caught sight of Hartley gazing approvingly at him. A small part of him noted that was probably the first time Hartley had looked at him like that. The group settled down together and talked some more about the issue, occasionally stopping to allow Barry to calm down. By midnight, they had finished talking about everything, and Hartley wrapped Barry up in his jumper and led him home. As they walked in the direction of Barry’s flat however, Barry looked at him.

“Can you take me to the CCPD instead? I have a report I really need to finish.” Reluctantly, Hartley nodded, and sent a text to Snart letting him know. By the time they showed up at the station, Leonard was waiting for them, arms crossed.

“Right Scarlet, I know what report it is, and I’m not letting you go through this alone.”

Barry rolled his eyes. “You do realise you’ll be arrested as soon as you walk in, right Snart?”

As he spoke, Singh walked out of the station and smiled gently. “Actually Barry, I’m letting him in. Just to your lab though. Now come along guys, before anyone else notices that I’ve become the worst police officer ever.”  
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

Barry’s report was painful to write, especially when he included his own DNA into it. Singh had already taken his statement of facts, and Mick had had the sense to photograph his injuries. But Joe would know. Len sat beside him the whole time, arms wrapped around his waist. Hartley looked around the space, admiring the equipment. Barry was smart. Very smart from what his research on the man had picked up.

Finally, Barry signed the report with shaking hands. He stood up and walked downstairs, leaving the other men in his lab. With care he placed the file on Joe’s desk, and walked back to the lab. When he returned home, he didn’t say anything to the villains. Hartley sat on the couch keeping watch, and Len wordlessly curled in bed next to Barry, kissing his forehead tenderly. 

A heavy knocking at the door awoke them. Barry slipped out of bed and gingerly opened the door. Joe crushed him in a hug.

“Damn it Barry, you should have told me! I’m always here for you, don’t ever try to keep something so big away from me again!” Barry nodded numbly against his chest.  
The hug was broken when footsteps padded down the hall and Len strolled out. Suddenly Joe had his gun on him. 

“It was you, wasn’t it! You fucking raped my son! I’ll kill you I swear to God.”

And suddenly Len was furious, grabbing Joe by the collar. “Don’t you dare say that again. I would never do something so appalling and certainly not to your fucking son! I’ve been looking after him for weeks now! I’ve been helping him! He is incredible and you will never accuse me of hurting him like that ever again!”

Joe had settled down. The words sounded sincere. And Barry didn’t seem scared by Snart’s appearance. Quite the opposite. Barry was blushing and smiling at the man. Joe heard more movement in the kitchen and this time, neither Len nor Barry had an answer for who it was. Mick staggered out of the kitchen then, brandishing three coffees, and eyes half shut with sleep. They widened slightly as he caught sight of the detective, but he walked forward, giving Barry a mug, Len a mug, and sipping at his own.  
“Want one?” Joe slowly nodded, and Mick stalked back into the kitchen, appearing minutes later with another three cups. He held out Joe’s coffee and the man took it, following Mick into the living room where Hartley and Lisa were curled up dozing. 

“Wakey wakey children. We have company.” Len drawled. Hartley was the first to wake up properly, and he stared wide-eyed at Joe. But Joe made no move to attack him, so he warily took a cup of coffee from Mick and sat up. Lisa soon joined him. Barry was about to sit down when another knock came from the door. It was Cisco and Caitlin. 

“Hey Barry we found some new information that may help the case…” Cisco trailed off as he looked around the room at the four villains, Joe and Barry. “But that can totally wait until this is over.” So he and Caitlin took seats on the catch Hartley occupied. He smiled shyly at Cisco and Cisco blushed scarlet before smiling back. Caitlin rolled her eyes. Barry was about to sit down when another knock sounded at the door. This time it was Singh.

“Hey just checking to make sure you’re going okay…oh.” 

Barry just gestured for him to take a seat and soon the room was packed with everyone, sitting in silence.

Joe gestured for Singh to speak. 

“Well, we just got an update. Turns out all four of the men involved in Barry’s attack and the murder were turned in last night. It would appear that one of them was a little…burnt. But besides that, they’re in a holding cell right now. The evidence collected ensures that these guys will be put away for a long time. It’s over Barry.”

Joe smiled gratefully, and Mick looked just a little smug, as did Hartley. Singh decided that he didn’t really want to know the unorthodox methods that the men had used. He was surprised however, when Cisco and Caitlin shared the same smug expression. Had all four gotten involved? If he was honest with himself, he wouldn’t put it past them. 

“So, I would really like a straight answer on only one thing. Why are you friends with these guys? Or, it might seem, more than friends?” Joe asked. Barry looked at him with wide eyes and Joe snorted softly. “Kid, you can’t lie to save your life. I’ve suspected you were gay for years. It’s okay Barr.” Barry released himself from Len’s grip to leap into Joe’s arms.   
Joe smiled, but then carried on. “I would like an answer Barry.”

Barry smiled softly. “They care about me. I showed up to a robbery after I was – after the attack, and Snart took me to their safehouse for the night. I felt like nothing could hurt me. They’ve been helping me.”

It was Singh’s turn to ask a question. “And why exactly, Allen, were you at a robbery while a crime was being committed?” Barry’s face went pale.

“Because I’m the Flash.” He said simply. Singh grinned at him. “I knew it! I knew you were! My husband was all ‘it can’t be him, he’s a CSI, he doesn’t exercise’ but I knew it would be you!” 

Everyone in the room laughed gently. 

“And what about…this.” Joe gestured between Barry and Snart. Barry blushed and Snart smirked. 

“Len’s alright I guess.” At this Len snorted. 

“Scarlet is alright too, I suppose.”

Hartley spoke up. “They’re in love, oh my God.”

Snart choked on his coffee, and Mick was left to save his airway by hitting him on the back hard.

“Well…I suppose I am, a little bit.” Barry said softly. Len looked up from his choking and grinned at him, managing to splutter out a “Me too” before resuming his coughing. Barry smiled and gently took his hand.


End file.
